The Paralympic and Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius is to appear in court charged with murder after allegedly shooting dead his girlfriend at his home in South Africa.

Lawyers for the athlete, who is being held at Boshkop police station in Pretoria, are expected to apply for bail at today's hearing.

However, police have said that they will oppose the application.

The body of Reeva Steenkamp, a top South African model, was discovered at the athlete's property in the Silver Woods gated community in eastern Pretoria on Thursday morning.

Reeva Steenkamp was due to appear on a reality television show

She had been shot four times. A 9mm pistol was found at the scene.

Kenny Oldwage, Pistorius' lawyer, said the athlete was "emotional" after his arrest, "but he is keeping up." He said he planned to seek bail for Pistorius at the preliminary hearing.

Initial reports in South African media suggested Miss Steenkamp was apparently shot as she woke him, trying to surprise him on Valentine's Day, and was mistaken for an intruder.

But police later said the shooting was being treated as a murder and that they were "very surprised" by those reports, which they said did not come from them.

It has been reported that Miss Steenkamp's body was discovered in the bathroom of the house.

Brigadier Denise Beukes confirmed the couple were alone in the house at the time of the shooting and there was no sign of forced entry.

"I can't confirm that it's related to the person that's arrested but I can confirm there has previously been incidents at the home of Mr Oscar Pistorius," she said, saying that there were "allegations of a domestic nature".

"There are witnesses and they have been interviewed this morning," she said. "We are talking about neighbours and people that heard things earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place."

Pistorius was arrested on Thursday morning and taken to hospital for a medical examination.

He emerged from a police station after questioning, flanked by plain-clothed officers and wearing a hooded jacket covering most of his face.

The athlete requested an immediate appearance at Pretoria Magistrates Court but this was delayed to give forensic officers more time.

Pistorius' father, Henke Pistorius, said: "We all pray for guidance and strength for Oscar and the lady's parents."

A spokeswoman for Pistorius at Fast Track, an international sports marketing agency in London, said the athlete was assisting with the investigation and there would be no further comment "until matters become clearer".

1/10

Gallery: Pistorius: A Sporting Pioneer

Pistorius was born in Johannesburg on November 22, 1986. A congenital condition meant he had no bones in his lower legs.

The sprinter's former coach, Andrea Giannini, said he hoped the shooting was "just a tragic accident".

"No matter how bad the situation was, Oscar always stayed calm and positive," Giannini said. "Whenever he was tired or nervous, he was still extremely nice to people. I never saw him violent."

The shooting took place at Pistorius' home at Silver Woods country estate.

The 26-year-old is alleged to have shot his 30-year-old model girlfriend in the head and upper body. She died at the scene.

Paramedics were called to his home between 4am and 5am local time on Thursday.

The couple were first seen in public together in November. In an interview in a newspaper on Sunday, Miss Steenkamp said that Pistorius was an impeccable man who always had her best interests at heart.

Her uncle, Mike Steenkamp, told reporters her family was devastated that her life had been cut short.

Miss Steenkamp's publicist, Sarit Tomlinson, described her as "the sweetest human being" and "a talented and bright young girl", adding that the couple had a "healthy, fabulous relationship".

Miss Steenkamp, a law graduate from Port Elizabeth who had posed in men's magazine FHM, was active on Twitter the day before.

She tweeted: "What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow??? #getexcited #ValentinesDay"

In response to someone else's plans, she said: "That sounds amazing! Wow that's what it's all about! It should be a day of love for everyone :) may it be blessed!"

She was due to star in South African reality TV series Tropika Island of Treasure at the weekend, in which celebrities and ordinary people are tasked with daily challenges in remote, exotic locations.

The Johannesburg-born athlete, known as the Blade Runner because of the carbon fibre blades he uses on the track, made history in 2012 when he became the first amputee to compete in the Olympics.

In the Paralympics, he won gold in the 400m and another in the 4x400m relay.

Both of his legs were amputated below the knee just before his first birthday because of a congenital condition.

Last year Time Magazine named him as one of the world's 100 most influential people.

Pistorius, like many fellow South Africans, appeared to have serious concerns about his safety, and reportedly kept a revolver at his bedside and a machine gun by his window, as well as a cricket bat and baseball bat behind his bedroom door.

South Africa has some of the world's highest rates of violent crime with an average of nearly 50 people murdered each day. According to statistics, nearly 13 in every 100 people in the country own a gun.

Silver Woods is a high security complex with a three-metre-high wall, electric fence, a guarded entrance and regular patrols.

South Africa's M-Net cable TV channel said it was pulling an advertising campaign featuring Pistorius with immediate effect.

A Nike ad banner across the top of Pistorius' official website saying "I am the bullet in the chamber" has also been removed.